Estás iniciando un proyecto de construcción. ¿Qué necesitas saber para gestionarlo?

By the time you start a construction project, everything should be in place for managing it. The budget should have been developed from the estimate and proposal, a schedule should have been developed from the budget and equipment deliveries and logical construction flow, a team should have been determined for each phase along with manpower requirements. A construction manager or project manager should have had a hand in all of those breakdowns and decisions. Follow up on all long term lead items should be made and compared with the schedule. It is all a process that if followed, will provide a path for a successful project.......if the estimate was correct and all change orders are kept up with. It is not hard, any body can do it.

Defining Goals, Budget, & Timelines: Set clear objectives, establish a realistic budget, and outline the project timeline to align expectations. Recognizing Key Stakeholders & Organizing the Team: Identify and engage all relevant stakeholders. Form a dedicated project team to drive the initiative. Prepping & Requesting Preliminary Documents: Collect and review necessary documents for planning. Contact any involved entities or AHJs to assist with strategy and timelines. Planning Schedule & Strategy: Develop a detailed schedule to map out critical milestones and deliverables. Communicating & Collaborating: Maintain open communication with the team and schedule kickoff calls to ensure alignment and information sharing with entire team

Clearly outline the scope and objectives of the construction project. Identify deliverables, timelines, and budget constraints. Involve stakeholders in defining project goals to ensure alignment with expectations. Establish clear communication channels to disseminate project scope effectively. Regularly revisit and refine scope and goals as needed to maintain project focus and achieve successful outcomes.

Scope: Work scope, Milestones, and deliverables to be produced. Budget and Schedule: Project Budget, Timeline of the project, and Critical activities. In normal practice, the master schedule is the baseline schedule to be followed customer and subcontractor to check the actual status of the project Resource requirements: How many resources are required to execute the Project? Using the Manpower histogram will give a good picture of the resource availability area to analyze and take action for further requirements. Quality requirements: Must be aware the quality standards. Major and critical equipment have detailed quality procedures that need to be followed. "Mode of communication" and "Change Management Procedure" Need to be checked.

Project Managers (PM) and Directors often fail to assess the project scope in detail. Allocation and distribution of resources is critical for smooth operation of the project. Steps like researching the local weather and allowing sufficient buffer for rainy days and establishing a plan on how to re allocate resources to meet the critical milestones. Its best that PMs are engaged from the inception of the project and realistic buffers are allocated to cater for the size, complexity, requirement and location of the project.

One very helpful thing is to not get too granular when calculating the time and expense budgets. 99% of the time there are delays that can drastically change the schedule and budget of the project. Include a buffer in your estimations so that you are not cutting into profit margins. The higher the risk of delays, the higher the buffer should be.

Last 10 % are the slowest and the most expensive in the project . Try to focus on those 10% even though nearly all have already given their strength to the project. Then you can start closing the site/project and save a lot of unnecessary expences. Starting and closing project fast saves time and costs. It demands good planning and project scheduling.

The schedule planning can be done with Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project, depending on client's requirement. First, you create the project's WBS, then you sequentially list the activities, sub-activities/tasks, and milestones, estimate the activities' duration, then you link the activities (i.e assign activity relationships in the predecessor or successor column). In order to properly cost this project, you have to create resources (labour, non-labour & material), input the price per unit of that resource, carefully assign resources to each task as you go down the 'Budgeted Total Cost' column. This will give you the exact amount you are likely to expend on the entire project (Budgeted Cost).

1. Identify risk categories that apply to the project or industry 2. Create subcategories 3. Identify specific risk for each subcategory 4. Score the risk and impact 5. Create a chart

Create a thorough budget and timetable for the construction project. Effortlessly distribute resources while taking deadlines, expenses, and hazards into account. Make realistic timetables and budgets by using project management tools and taking backup plans into consideration. Keep a close eye on project progress and expenses and adapt as needed to keep the project on schedule and under budget.

Es importante conocer el alcance del proyecto, luego de eso cuantificarlo, costearlo , planificarlo y programarlo. Importante realizar un buen presupuesto.

Organize a capable team and allocate resources effectively for the construction project. Define roles and responsibilities clearly to foster accountability and collaboration. Ensure the team is equipped with the necessary skills and expertise. Optimize resource allocation to maximize efficiency and productivity. Foster a supportive and cohesive team environment to enhance project success.

I find it quite interesting that “Communication and Collaboration” is listed as Step 5. A communication plan and strategy for collaboration should be the first step. If you do not understand each stakeholders roles and responsibilities there will be gaps in all of the project assumptions. Two key tools are a “written” Conditions of Satisfaction (CoS) and a RACI chart “Responsible” “Accountable” “Consulted” “Informed”. Being clear and concise removes any ambiguity and starts the project on solid ground. Addressing these aspects early helps prevent misunderstandings and ensures everyone is aligned.

I agree with Frances about communication being in step 1. In my experience I find communicaction towards the client, sponsors and stakeholders mostly well defined (in comms strategy) and well done. I experienced bigger problems with internal communication - within the company that delivers a (big) project. Especially information being shared in both ways of a hierarchy and between different departments. I recommend one or max two preferred channels of written communication that has most if not all important info. Limited number of meetings with clear conclusions, actions, owners and realistic deadlines. And most importantly there should be more short in person communication that solves a lot of small challenges and even bigger ones.

The devils are in the details, read the contract carefully early on to assess hidden tasks and costs, never underestimate their possibility to hinder construction progress.

Documented review should be shared with other teams and put in database easily available to other employees that deal with project. Commercial success of a project needs to be evaluated and compared to bidding budget and offer estimates to improve future bidding.

Another vital process missing is risk management, which i think is foundation of success. Early Detection of Risks sets the stage for smooth execution. Evaluating Risks is the next critical step. It’s about assessing the potential impact of each identified risk, determining which could slip the project and which are mere bumps in the road. This evaluation is crucial for setting priorities and allocating resources wisely. Then for each risk mitigation plans need to be crafted and implemented. Whether it’s through innovative contracting, ensuring quality control, or adopting new technologies, crafting tailored strategies to navigate through the identified risks is key to steering your project to success.

Document everything.Maintain accurate and comprehensive project documentation, including contracts, drawings, specifications, change orders, and correspondence. Keep detailed records of project activities, decisions, and communications for future reference.